Farewell to My Concubine (4K Restored Version) 

Leslie Cheung delivers for Farewell to My Concubine one of the most memorable performances in his already remarkable career. Playing Cheng Dieyi, a Peking opera star who specialises in dan (female) roles, he captures the gender fluidity of the character in all its glory and hazards, embodying profound humanity in the process.

The film is based on the famed novel The Hegemon-King Bid His Lady Farewell by Hong Kong novelist Lillian Lee, which draws inspiration from the cherished Peking opera of the same Chinese title. Set against the Chu-Han Contention around 200 BC, the opera tells the story of King Xiang Yu and his concubine, Yu Ji. It is a vivid example of popular culture’s capacity to connect with the people by focusing not on the grand staging of history but on the personal relationships unfolding on the sideline, generating intense emotional responses.

Fifth Generation director Chen Kaige in turn adapts the novel to film, realising great artistry through media-crossing sampling. Peking opera serves as a stage for the epic telling of the story, which spans the 1920s and 1970s, an eventful period of hardship, upheaval and suffering in Chinese history. This history is in turn integrated with an examination of the gender and sexual ambiguity of opera practice, culminating in a moving and powerful portrait of the complicated relationship between art and artist, stage and real life.

Courtesy of Tomson (Hong Kong) Films Co., Ltd.

The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the presenter. The presenter reserves the right to change the programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.